Botetourt County Virginia History

Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron de Botetourt (c1717-1770)

The county was named after Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron de Botetourt (c1717-1770). Berkeley, formerly a Member of British Parliament, served as Virginia's Royal Governor at the time of Botetourt County's organization.

Parent County

7 November 1769: Botetourt County was created from Augusta County. County seat: Fincastle [1]

1890 Union Veterans

Church History and Records

Baptist

Early Baptist churches (with years constituted):

Mill Creek (1804).[5] A bicentennial history was published in 2004: Touch of History, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Dec. 2004). Another history was published in 1987: Appalachian Heritage, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Fall 1987).

The 10,000 name petition (dated 16 October 1776) has been digitized at the Library of Congress website. It was signed by people from all over Virginia who wanted an end to persecution of Baptists by the Established Church. Baptists and Baptist sympathizers alike signed the petition. To find your ancestor in this record, first check Hall's transcription in the Magazine of Virginia Genealogy (Vols. 35-38, with annotations in Vol. 39), which is available online at Ancestry ($). It is also available in book form at the Family History Library: FHL Book 975.5 B2vs v. 35-39. Then proceed to the Library of Congress website to see the original images.

Botetourt County fell within the bounds of the Strawberry Association.

Church of England

Court Records

Several of the original order books (which begin in 1770) do not contain handwritten prosecutors' indexes. Some of the entries were abstracted in Annals of Southwest Virginia, which serves as a partial index, see:

Immigration

During the War of 1812, American officials reported finding a total of 5 British aliens, many of whom had families, living in Fincastle and Bottetout County [sic].[3]

Land and Property

An early settlers map is available for Botetourt County. The cartographer plots the locations of pioneers from 1770-1820. The Family History Library has a copy: FHL Map 975.583 E7h.

Grants and Patents

Land patents (pre-1779), land grants (after 1779) and surveys are available online at the Library of Virginia website. For step-by-step instructions on retrieving these records, read the Virginia Land and Property article.

Local Histories

Burton, Charles T. Botetourt County, Virginia, Early Settlers: From the Earliest Times through 1795, in the Area that was Botetourt County in 1782, Covers Parts of Present-day Counties of Montgomery, Bath, Giles, Floyd, Alleghany, Roanoke, Craig and Monroe. Troutville, Virginia: 1979?. Available at FHL.

Prillaman, Helen R. Places Near the Mountains: From the Community of Amsterdam, Virginia Up the Road to Catawba, on the Waters of the Catawba and Tinker Creeks, along the Carolina Road as it Aproached Big Lick and Other Areas, Primarily North Roanoke [Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia]. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2002. Available at FHL; digital version at Ancestry ($). Alternative title: Places Near the Mountains [Botetourt and Roanoke Counties, Virginia].

Dunmore's War

Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Culpeper and Fincastle Payrolls and Public Service Claims, 1775: Also Known as Dunmore's War: Enlarged and Photocopied. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Allen County Public Library, 2004. Available at FHL.

Crozier, William Armstrong. Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776. Baltimore: Southern Book Co., 1954. Available at FHL; digital book at Ancestry ($). [Identifies some Botetourt County militia officers and soldiers; see place name index.]

Revolutionary War

Regiments. Service men in Botetourt County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Botetourt County supplied soldiers for the:

A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census]. 1841. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Collection 973 X2pc 1840. [See Virginia, Western District, Bottetourt County on pages 133-134.]

War of 1812

List of Pensioners on the Roll, January 1, 1883; Giving the Name of Each Pensioner, the Cause for Why Pensioned, the Post-Office Address, the Rate of Pension Per Month, and the Date of Original Allowance... Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1883. FHL Collection 973 M2Lp v. 5; digital versions at Google Books and Internet Archive. [See Vol. 5, Virginia, Botetourt County, p. 64.]

Civil War

Regiments. Service men in Botetourt County, Virginia Genealogy served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Botetourt County, Virginia Genealogy:

Naturalization

Newspapers

Indexed images of the Virginia Gazette (1736-1780) are available online through the Colonial Williamsburg website. In addition, Professor Tom Costa and The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia have created a database of all runaway advertisements for slaves, indentured servants, transported convicts, and ship deserters listed in this source and other Virginia newspapers (1736-1803), see: The Geography of Slavery in Virginia. These newspapers are valuable resources for all regions of Virginia.

Occupations

Cutten, George Barton. The Silversmiths of Virginia (together with Watchmakers and Jewelers) from 1694 to 1850. Richmond, Va.: The Dietz Press, Incorporated, 1952. Available at FHL. [Includes a section on Fincastle silversmiths.]

Periodicals

Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin

Genealogical articles with abstracts of Botetourt County, Virginia records have been published in the Watauga Association of Genealogists Bulletin (39+ vols., 1972-present), the journal of the Watauga Association of Genealogists. The organization has posted tables of contents for most volumes on their website. Back issues are available for purchase. The Family History Library has a complete collection FHL US/CAN Books 976.897 B2w, including Margaret W. Hougland and Betty Jane Hylton's Bulletin Subject Index: The First Thirty Years, 1972-2001 (Johnson City, Tenn.: Watauga Association of Genealogists, 2002) FHL US/CAN Book 976.897 B2w index 1972-2001.

Probate Records

A free index to Botetourt County, Virginia Genealogy wills and administrations (1770-1800) is available at the Library of Virginia website.

[1784] Fothergill, Augusta B. and John Mark Naugle. Virginia Tax Payers, 1782-87, Other Than Those Published by the United States Census Bureau. 1940; reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978. Available at FHL. [1784 personal property tax list of Botetourt County.]

[1787] Schreiner-Yantis, Netti and Florene Speakman Love. The 1787 Census of Virginia: An Accounting of the Name of Every White Male Tithable Over 21 Years, the Number of White Males Between 16 & 21 Years, the Number of Slaves over 16 & Those Under 16 Years, Together with a Listing of Their Horses, Cattle & Carriages, and Also the Names of All Persons to Whom Ordinary Licenses and Physician's Licenses Were Issued. 3 vols. Springfield, Va.: Genealogical Books in Print, 1987. Available at FHL. [The source of this publication is the 1787 personal property tax list. Botetourt County is included in Vol. 1.]

Vital Record Substitutes

The Virginia Historical Society's Marriage and Obituary Index, 1736-1820 (newspaper abstracts) is available for free online. Images of the original index cards are browseable, arranged alphabetically by surname.

Botetourt County Virginia Genealogy References

↑A Census of Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services: With their Names, Ages, and Places of Residence, as Returned by the Marshalls of the Several Judicial Districts, Under the Act for Taking the Sixth Census] (1841), 133-134. Digital version at Google Books. 1967 reprint: FHL Book 973 X2pc 1840.